There are now just five weeks left for would-be lawyers to apply for training places at the UK’s top legal firms.

The majority of firms are recruiting more than two years in advance so that they will be able to provide financial support for their trainees during the postgraduate study required to become a qualified lawyer. Students signing up with firms this summer won’t actually begin work until 2009 at the earliest.

DLA Piper is one of more than 200 firms promoting its training contracts to students. Unlike many international firms, though, it offers UK opportunities for graduates both in and outside London.

“Only about a third of our trainees work in London,” says Claire Evans, the graduate recruitment officer at the firm. “The majority will join our offices in the Midlands, the North of England or Scotland.” This regional aspect to the firm can be a real draw for graduates. “Not everyone wants to be in London. For example if you are really into climbing or walking and want to work somewhere that is half an hour from the Peak District, then Sheffield is a great option,” Evans says.

Graduates working for DLA Piper in London may be paid more than those at the company’s other offices, but this doesn’t always matter to new trainees. “We find that there are a lot of graduates who have done a placement in London and realise it isn’t right for them. They would rather live in a smaller city where perhaps they are closer to family and friends. Also, if you’re earning £24,000 in Birmingham you can probably have a relatively nice apartment within walking distance of work.”

DLA Piper’s regional emphasis has other benefits too. “With more than 7,000 people in 24 countries we are one of the largest law firms in the world,” Evans says. “But our offices have a real community feel to them and we pride ourselves on providing a full range of legal services for clients, irrespective of whether they’re regional, national or international.”

The international dimension to the firm means that some of its new trainees have the opportunity to do part of their legal experience overseas. “We’ve just introduced international secondments to Dubai, Singapore, Moscow and Hong Kong,” she says. “The secondments last either three or six months and are open to trainees at any of our UK offices.

“Differentiating between law firms can be difficult,” she says. “But we believe that we are a good option for new graduates because we have extremely strong departments in so many different areas of law and can give people regional as well as international opportunities. I’d say it’s a pretty hard combination to beat.”

Martin Birchall is editor of The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers

No 93 DLA Piper

What is it? DLA Piper is the sixth-largest legal services firm in the UK with a staff of 2,800 and 300 partners. The firm provides full service legal advice on issues such as people and employment, litigation, insurance, IT and intellectual property, as well as large-scale mergers and acquisitions and banking deals.

What graduate jobs are on offer? DLA Piper is recruiting 95 trainees to start work with the firm in August 2009 and offers about 200 places for undergraduates on its two-week summer vacation scheme each year.

Where are the jobs? The firm has eight offices in the UK: London, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield, Liverpool, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

What is the pay like? Starting salaries for trainees working in regional offices are £22,000; those in London are paid £31,000.

What is the competition like? More than 2,000 students applied for training contracts at DLA Piper last year.

How do you apply? Applications for summer vacation scheme places have already closed but there is still time to apply for 2009 training contracts at www.dlapiper.com. The deadline for applications is July 31.

How has DLA Piper done in the Top 100? 2002 - 100, 2003 - 82, 2004 - 76, 2005 - 83, 2006 - 93

The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers is based on research with more than 16,000 final-year university students. Order the 2006-07 edition from Times Books First for only £13.49 (rrp £14.99). Call 0870 1608080 or visit timesonline.co.uk/booksfirstbuy

Explore Career & Jobs

• Graduate / Management

• Senior Executive

• PA / Secretarial

• Public Sector

• Legal

• Recruiter Forum

• MBA

• Top 100 Graduate Employers

• Top 50 Women

• Best 100 Companies

• Careers in

Times Recommends

• Inspirational leadership
• How to get a new job
• The reluctant CEO